While the European Union has officially signed ACTA - it's not all bad news for those worried about this anti-piracy treaty negotiated in secret. For one, it is an international treaty, which means that it has to be approved by the European Parliament.

Marietje Schaake, a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, said this week that "the European Parliament has the decisive voice on ACTA." The good news is that the first public "exchange of views" on ACTA will take place in the key committee scheduled for February 29 - March 1. The committee is expected to hold its vote on the ratification of the treaty in April or May, with a full parliament vote expected sometime in June.

With the defeat of SOPA and PIPA in the United States and more awareness of just what ACTA is all about, a vote is likely to be close on its ratification in the Parliament. Schaake and other members of Parliment that don't like ACTA are calling for a grass roots effort to swing the votes needed to defeat ACTA in the EU.

Interestingly, no other country has officially ratified ACTA. Mexico, one of the few countries to vote on it, has soundly rejected the treaty in its Senate via a non-binding resolution.